Leo Marks
Were you always a creative person growing up or how did this sensitivity come about?
I have studied art more or less since a very young age. From drawing, taking photos, and filmmaking, I’ve been a creative person from early on. I can say that it’s always been a part of my life, an ongoing thing, as it’s not something such as a conscious decision to become creative. It’s really just the way it’s been since early on.
You were the Creative Lead for MINI Brand Fields before becoming responsible for the Creative Direction of MINI Electric & Brand Fields Globally. What did the transition consist of and in what ways had the level of responsibility changed and thus challenged you?
The first role within MINI was working on Brand Fields. This was something that was quite broad and new, so it was really exciting and interesting; it was a different challenge almost every day. These topics kind of naturally evolved towards the electric car launch, so it was also a natural evolution into the role now. It wasn’t really a big gear shift, just a natural move. It was great to be offered that, to work on the first electric MINI has been fantastic. It organically made a lot of sense. At the time, I was based in New York, so perhaps the biggest shift was moving over to Germany, at least in terms of the personal. And from New York to Munich, there was definitely a cultural shift.
Would you walk us through what your position entails and the process to which you take specifically in fulfilling this role?
Well, it’s a hybrid role between the strategy for the brand and execution in comms, delivering on both the strategic and creative objectives. It’s quite interesting in that way. We really work from end to end in developing the overall brand strategy, and in my case, more specifically, with the tonality of the brand and by what and how we would like it to communicate––which kind of evolves into figuring out how that works visually, as a visual identity, and then working closely with the communications and marketing teams to deliver on this and the wider tonality.
This is a collaborative process of working to realize a wide range of assets; film photography and overall communications output. At that stage, we also look at the more practical end of things from the strategy to the execution, which is great. It’s really unique and satisfying, because you take something from the concept to the execution, and that’s a really great thing.
Considering the frequency of your travels, for both professional and personal purposes, how necessary do you find it to immerse yourself in various cultures, and how do you feel this may influence your work?
I think it’s really important to understand the different markets that we are working with, as well in professional terms, the people that you work with. It’s really important to immerse yourself and understand the way people think, and the way they perceive different aspects of the work on that professional level. As well on the market side, it’s important to understand how people perceive the brand. Cultural aspects say a lot about how people will interpret communications. It’s super interesting. It makes the job really significant because, with a global role, you’re not just pinned down to one market.
Your abilities are acclaimed by your peers, described as having “a highly astute creative mind,” yet as being a passionate mentor as well. How perhaps has the mentorship or encouragement you’ve received yourself played a role in impacting your desire to mentor others?
That’s a good question. I think this is probably also quite natural when you work with people who are very generous with their time, and when they show interest in you. I think it’s natural to also then carry that on into your behavior within your personal life. For me, that’s just a kind of normal progression. You can learn so much from people who are just starting out, and from people who have been working in the industry for decades. I think it works both ways. It doesn’t just mean that it’s your work; you try to support them, or give them your time, as you are reciprocal in that you learn a lot as well. If you experience things in that way, and that’s how your brain works, then it’s very important to keep that kind of cycle. You gain new input from understanding things, it’s important.
So, what does your team and internal structure look like, and how engaged are you personally on each project?
BMW is a really extensive company. At the headquarters, there are relatively large teams in terms of partners. Then within MINI itself, there are a lot of people, but our team is relatively small. It’s very tight-knit and hands-on. Everybody kind of works together as much as we can. We have a really good group of partners, so we always work with them in a way that is collaborative, it’s not transactional. It really works and it is a slightly different way of working from what I’ve experienced before, so I’ve learned a lot from it.
What does leadership mean to you? What would you say is necessary in order to effectively and productively lead?
I would build on what was discussed on the whole collaborative approach, because I think that’s really the best version of a team, to produce work that everyone is proud of; where not just a few people take the lead, but everybody works together based on their strengths, supporting each other and then celebrating the work when it’s delivered. As well, as sharing the burden when there are problems to solve. It works well in that way, rather than a sort of top-down approach.
You have won quite a few awards, which are you most proud of and what does the acknowledgment symbolize to you on a personal level?
I wouldn’t say I’m proud of one specific award. They’re all products of teamwork and celebrate the teams that work on those projects. They’re really just a type of recognition for really great projects, and obviously, of which the outcome of that is then recognized by the industry or by the audience. For me, each one is really a symbol of a really great project.
Given that we live in an ever-advancing digital age, what kind of impact has social media and digital technology had on your work?
Moreover, how do these extend to creating a successful engagement with the company’s overall audience? The shift towards the audience engaging with mobile, and subsequently social media is huge. It’s shifted the mentality. I do think about how we create communications for an audience that is primarily using that medium, so it’s not really an impact that’s changed anything for me, only because it has always been that way for quite some time. But I guess, more broadly, you can see there’s definitely a fuller shift. Some people are fast, some are a bit slower in adhering, but it’s definitely an exciting shift because it opens up a lot of doors in terms of storytelling approaches, and different ways of engaging with the audience. It’s a lot faster, and a lot more media in general. And so with that comes a lot of opportunities. It’s super exciting.
What does the fact that you can build and customize your own MINI by various specifications, and on the company’s website, say about the MINI consumer today?
I think that’s kind of a testament to the customer’s individuality and of the MINI. It’s a very unique product and brand. It speaks to the customer also, as well as to their individuality. So collectively, they really express themselves through those choices, and this makes the personalization aspect of the brand really important. It’s something that I think is integral to MINI. It’s a love brand and has such a great history which includes a really great tribe of customers and fans. It is a real community.
What do you feel the future looks like for the MINI? What do you feel you still have yet to contribute and would like to either implement or see through?
The electric launch is super exciting, and that’s what I’ve been working on lately. For me, that’s a really brilliant project to be on. So the launch in 2020 is really exciting. In general, as a future move, electric mobility is a really big topic. That, for one, is really exciting. Then in general… the brand, the customers, the fans, the audience, all of the stories that are there, brought to the forefront, that journey together with the audience. Working on a more immediate format, in terms of storytelling, is super exciting. I am looking forward to that.
Lastly, in what ways do you stay connected to your roots? How important is this for you personally?
I’m originally from London and I get to go there a lot for work. I have a lot of great partners there, so I don’t feel the need to overly force that connection. I’m always there with the people that I love, the people I grew up with, and in some cases, still working with. I feel pretty connected to that. I am pretty grateful for that.
Photographer THOMAS WELCH
Interviewed by BK DELANEY